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CI CyberNews, Vol. 8 No. 12
ALMATIS ENJOYS GROWTH Since its inception three years ago, Almatis has recorded over 20% growth in sales volume. Much of this growth is attributed to an increased consumption of higher-quality, alumina-based refractories driven by continuously growing steel production volumes and the transition to higher-quality steel. High-performance aluminas in advanced ceramics are another major growth contributor. “The Almatis focus on the production of high-quality synthetic aluminas and on supplying value to our customers is a story of tremendous growth,” said Martin Laudenbach, chief executive officer. “Although there is a wide range of raw materials available on the market today, choosing the right
combination and quality of components gives our customers clear performance improvement.” The company’s website is located at www.almatis.com.
FERRO INTRODUCES NEW PORCELAIN ENAMEL COATINGS New AquaRealEase™ coatings from Ferro Corp. enable innovative energy-efficient self-cleaning ovens that really do the work. In a low-temperature, easy-to-clean oven lined with AquaRealEase, tough soils like baked-on strawberry pie spills wipe clean with a damp cloth after soaking or exposure to steam from water heated at just 190°F for one hour. AquaRealEase reduces energy usage and eliminates odor from incineration or oven cleaners. It also eliminates the need for an expensive self-cleaning system that operates at temperatures of 1000°F, and can reduce the cost of extra insulation and safety interlocks. For additional information, visit
www.ferro.com.
MILLENNIUM CELL DEVELOPS FUEL CARTRIDGE CAPABILITY Millennium Cell Inc. has established the manufacturing capability for Hydrogen on Demand®
fuel cartridges, a step that will broaden the company’s business model to include commercial sales of standard products. With this development, the company also has the capability to fulfill orders from licensees who package components into customized fuel cartridge designs. Millenium collaborated with The Dow Chemical Co. and Edison Welding Institute (EWI) to develop manufacturing techniques and select materials for key fuel cartridge components. As a result, the company has constructed a pilot production line to produce fuel cartridges for commercial applications. For additional information, visit www.millenniumcell.com, www.dow.com or www.ewi.org.
TWO NREL SCIENTISTS RECEIVE INTERNATIONAL PRIZE Sarah Kurtz and Jerry Olson, solar power innovators at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colo., will share this year’s $1 million Dan David Future Prize with NASA climate scientist James Hansen. The prizes are granted to individuals or institutions that have made an outstanding contribution to humanity. The NREL scientists pioneered the highly efficient multi-junction solar cell, which uses layers of semiconductor material to gain extremely high efficiencies in converting sunlight to electricity. Already in wide use in space exploration, including powering the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity, the scientists hope the
multi-junction devices will help meet electrical needs on Earth through the use of lenses and mirrors that concentrate sunlight on the highly efficient solar cells. More information is available at www.nrel.gov.
SETARAM LAUNCHES NEW THERMAL ANALYSIS TESTING AND DEMO LAB Setaram recently announced the completion of a testing and applications laboratory at its U.S. headquarters in Pennsauken, N.J. The new facility has been designed specifically to house the full range of Setaram’s comprehensive thermal techniques, and can offer almost every thermal measurement available. All of the systems are supported by a team of engineers and the fully-trained team responsible for the sales and support of Setaram products within the U.S. “This new facility was important for us for two main reasons,” said Gary Etherington, managing director. “First, because Setaram’s instrumentation covers even the most demanding applications, we had
a high demand of people looking to run samples on our systems. And for our future and existing customers, it is also a highly flexible resource for support, training and demonstration solutions.” For additional information, call (856) 778-7600, fax (856) 910-1150 or visit www.setaram.com.
SPECIAL ATTRITOR DEVELOPED BY UNION PROCESS Union Process, Inc. recently produced a special Q-6 Circulation Attritor for a start-up orthopedic medical company. To ensure a metal-free environment as required by the application, the Attritor was constructed with an 8.5-gal, polyurethane-lined grinding tank and a plastic-coated agitator shaft with polyurethane-coated agitator arms. The upper discharge chamber was constructed of Halar-coated stainless steel. Q-Series mills from Union Process are high-circulation, high-flow mills, which produce a faster grind and narrower particle size distribution. During the circulation process, the material makes multiple passes through the grinding chamber until the desired particle size is
obtained. This means that Q-Series mills can process a large batch of slurry using a smaller mill, which requires less grinding media. For more information, call (330) 929-3333, e-mail eli@unionprocess.com or visit www.unionprocess.com.
SPONSORED BY:
Shape Up Researchers have been intrigued by the promising principles of sol-gel for decades. In contrast to traditional processes that require the re-shaping of solid blocks of silica glass material, molds of almost any shape can be reproduced through sol-gel processing at room temperature into high-quality silica glass. Numerous companies have tried to industrialize sol-gel processes, with little success. A new sol-gel process was recently developed that provides a major improvement in the production of special glass-molded bodies for a variety of applications, including quartz accessories, optics, optical fibers and semiconductor equipment. Learn how to
Shape the Liquid, Not the Solid in this special report from our March issue.
CyberTip Looking for a previously run news item? Simply visit
CI's website and use the search box at the top of the page!
Online Calendar CI's full Calendar of Events
is available online to help you keep track of all the latest trade shows and seminars.
CHARTER SPONSOR
Mohr Corp. provides ceramic and machinery services to both buyer and seller, from the sale of one machine to entire factories, with its professionally established brokering, liquidation and appraisal organization. For more information, visit www.mohrcorp.com.
ABOUT OUR SPONSOR
Insaco is a precision machining company that provides finished pieces to customers' specifications from ultra hard materials, including oxide ceramics, nitrides, carbides and quartz, and especially industrial sapphire. NEW capability allows the company to machine within a 102” x 31” x 70” envelope and still hold tight tolerances. Visit www.insaco.com.
All statements about the companies/products included in this newsletter are manufacturers' claims, and neither CI CyberNews nor Ceramic Industry endorses any of the products mentioned.
